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Eliminating the stigma about mental illness an aim for group

Task force recommends 8-pronged approach for wellness

A two-year effort to find ways to treat mental health and substance abuse – known as behavioral issues – in La Plata County has resulted in a recommendation for an eight-way approach to wellness.

The recommendation comes from a task force that broke out of a broader study of health issues by the Citizens Health Advisory Council.

Behavioral health requires accessible and affordable care that includes prevention, the task force says in a report.

“The aim is to routinely integrate behavioral health into all health care to reduce the stigma for mental illness and to improve well-being for all with a focus on young people and those in highest need,” the report says.

The behavioral-health team gathered information about needs through meetings with various grass-roots constituencies, the report said.

“It is not a needs analysis, which is based on a factual and analytic process,” the report says.

The proposed framework for action is made up of eight “dimensions” of wellness covering emotional, financial, social, spiritual, occupational, physical, intellectual and environmental elements.

Among priorities to address the issues are working to reduce the stigma associated with behavioral health; cutting wait time for mental-health treatment, promoting healthy behavior among schools and employers, increasing public transportation, teaching hands-on skills and educating employers about the importance of good behavioral health on the job.

“The amount of local buy-in with resources and successful grant applications will determine how quickly we move,” the report says.

Information is available from the Citizens Health Advisory Council at www.chaclaplata.org.

daler@durangoheald.com



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